Mold for tractor tires



. J. G. KREYERJ- MOLD Fon TRcToR TIRES Feb4, i947. f

Original Filed March l2, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 NvaN-'roli doHNGMngx/Erz, DEcEAsEo BYHELEN EKREYER, Execu'rlzlx A 1' 0 R N E. Y 5

WWW"

Patented Feb. 4, 1947 MOLD FOR TRACTOR TIRES John G. Kreyer, deceased, late of Akron, Ohio,

by Helen E. Kreyer, executrix, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application March 12, 1945, Serial No. 582,366. Divided and this application October 8, Y1946, Serial No. l702,038

Claims. l

This invention relates to pneumatic tire molds and it refers more particularly to molds for tractor tires whose treads have large, deep, widely spaced traction elements, such, for example, as disclosed in U. S. patents to Clair G. Hoover 2,011,552, James E. Hale 2,113,527, and William S. Coben 2,324,996. rire tread constructions of this type are used in providing maximum traction in soft soil operations. In such treat constructions or designs the traction elements are in the form of bars with the bar spacing being substantially greater than the bar width or bar height. Heretofore, tractor tires of the type described were designed so that the surface area of the treads between the traction elements was convex in form. Before the present invention, a, tire cavity in a tire mold was formed in two boring mill operations, one for sweeping out the base contour of the mold, which is also referred to as the top line, b-y those familiar with the art. After the plain cavities were swept out, the necessary recesses, grooves, fillets, etc., for the traction elements were then engraved or cut intaglio in the second operation.

Tires of the class described, vulcanized in molds used heretofore have not been entirely satisfactory and have presented serious problems to the tire industry. Tire engineers and tire productionmen have sought diligently for a solution to certain faults of said tires, which faults shall be pointed out and discussed hereinafter. However, until the present invention, a solution to the problems had not been found.

Heretofore, that part of the tire ply fabric under the large, deep traction elements of tires of the said Coben type were lifted or drawn toward the traction elements during the tire molding operation. Also the amount of tread rubber adjacent to the base of said elements was undesirably thin and the thickness of the tread rubber in the central area between said elements was of greater thickness than required or desired. In cord tires, cord of uneven stretch causes unequal strains on the fabric cords. Thick rubber between said elements is a waste of rubber and causes the cords of the tire plies to take improper cord direction by pressing the cord ply stock radially inwardly of the tire.

It was discovered that the concave portion of the tire mold surface which formed or molded the convex surface of a tire between the large traction elements actually trapped the rubber therein and did not permit the necessary flow ofrubber from the area between, and removed somewhat from the traction elements to fill that part of the mold cavity in which said traction elements were formed; that this resulted in the mold, at the edges of the traction elements, sinking deeply into the rubber of the tire tread leaving an inadequate amount of rubber adjacent to the traction elements, while at the same time the ply fabric of the tire was lifted, or drawn, by the force of the tire curing bag into the traction element portion of the mold cavity. This lproblem was solved by constructing a tire in which the convexity of the formerly convex surfaces between said traction elements was reduced and in some instances changed to circumferentially substantially flat-or concave surfaces, with corresponding` fiat or convex surfaces in the mold. rhis was accomplished, as will be understood by those familiar with the art, by radically altering the method of making the tire mold. To make a mold in which a tire embodying the present invention is to be molded, it is necessary to stop the usual boring mill operation at a point where there is still enough metal to scrape or otherwise form circumferentially fiat or convex areas between the traction element'recesses of the mold. A The conception of the invention involved a further valuable contribution to the art, in that by eliminating the convexity of the surface area, as just described, a, greater depth of cavity between the traction elements results with no increase in the height of the traction elements. The load carrying characteristics of any given traction element are not affected, but the bottom of the grooves dened by said traction elements of the new tire are removed farther from contact with the road surface, thereby providing longer effective life of the tire.

An object of the invention is to provide a tractor tire mold of such design as will promote the proper flow of tread rubber when a tire is molded therein.

Another object of the invention is to devise a tractor tire mold in which the base contour of the tire molding portion between the traction element grooves is composed of circumferentially flat or convex surfaces.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tractor tire mold having widely spaced, large traction element cavities which mold will not trap tread rubber between said elements in the operation of molding a tire and will accordingly avoid an excess of tread rubber in the base of the tire tread between the tire tread bars or traction elements. i

Yet anotherv object of the invention is to provide a mold which will increase the distance between the central portion of the bottom of the groove between tire traction elements and the top line of said traction elements, thereby providing longer effective life to the traction elements for a given quantity of rubber used, Other objects and advantages cf the invention will be apparentlto those familiar with the art from the following de; scriptionin connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tire made in a mold embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of aporticn of the tire Fig; 6- is apartial circumferentialsectional ViewV taken on line G-i-of' Fig. 2 and illustrating the contourvo-f the surface of the tire between the traction elements of the tread ofy a tire produced in a mold embodying the present invent-ion, the dottedA line indicatingl the contour of such tires before the present invention;V

Fig. '7 isV the same as Fig, 6 except the contour of thesurface of the tifre,..betweenl the traction elements, is` shown as concaveY ra-therthan flat as shown in Fig; 6-;-

Fig; 8^is'a -fragmentarysectional viewA of a tire mold-f embodying the invention, inY which moldthe tire shown in Fig;Y l wasmolded;

Fig; 9 is asection taken; on line 9 9 of Fig. 8;Y andJ` Fig. lil-is similar to Fig. 5l andillustrates the mi-splacement of tread rubber'andtire fabricI as itoccurred in theprior'art,

The present application isaA division of copending application Seria-l No; 582,366 led March 12; 1945, byJohn- Kreyer.

Referringy nown more particularly to the drawings, in Fig. 1A a' tire 9, having the usual carcass I; is show-n having large, widely spaced traction elerrnentsv H', t2, I3V and ik defining grooves or cavities I5, I6, IlV and I8A therebetween. By ref-V erence to Figs. 4- and 5 it will be seen thatthe surface of/ the bottoms ofthegr-ooves I5 and. Ii are arcuate incontourlaterally of thetire asbest seen in Fig. 4 but,` as shown in Fig. 5, that the contour of the cavities I5 and I6 are flat or straight in circumferential section. It will-A also.

be seen by reference toFigs.A 4 and 5 that the thickness of rubber` atI the central area'. E of the` cavities I5..anf1A I6- is noA greater than the thickness ofy rubber adjacent to the base of the traction elements II, I2 and I3.

Referring next to Fig. 6 an arcuate dotted line 2D isshown above a straight 1ine.2I. These lines 2D. and 2|. illustrate the relative circumferential contoury of the. bottoms of the recesses between the-traction elements before and after the Present invention, the dotted line 20.1epresenting. before, and the line 2I representing after the present invention,

Applicant' further found that `improvement over theiprior art would'be obtained if the convex surfaces ofthe bottoms of the saidtread grooves were changed to circumferentially concavesurfaces as indicated` by the solid surface line 22 of Fig. 7. The dotted line of Fig. '7 represents the usual circumferential conveXityV of the bottom of said groovesbeforeapplicants invention. It willbe.

understood that the benefits cf applicants in: vention will be progressively approached as the Y said circumferential convexity of the bottoms of said grooves approaches a straight or concave line; however, it has been found that in order to correct the faults of tires pointed out hereinabove, the bottoms of said grooves should be at least substantially flat or concave circumferentially of the tire.

Fig. 5 further illustrates a tire molded in a mold embodying the` invention by illustrating in one View several. of the numerous circumferential conteurs which the surface of the bottom of groovesl may' have. Contour identified by line Lc corresponds to. line 2I of Fig. 6, similarly line Llc; corresponds to. the prior art lines 20 of Figs.' 6, and '7, and line hd corresponds to line 22 of Fig. 7. Line Lc indicates a circumferential groove bottom surface contour `only slightly flattenedover the prior art. It will now be clear to those familiar withtirev design thatY the central portion of saidl tread grooves identiedby lines Le, La and Ld arein the order just mentioned, closerl tothe axis cf the tire than the centralportionof the contour of the prior art identified by line Lb-- he extent to which the bottoms of thev tread grooves will. have to` be modified over the priorart in the manner indicated above will depend' generallyV on the volume of rubber which mustbe molded intoitheztread. bars and the distancev the rubber moves in molding.

In Fig. 8 there is shown a fragmentary sectional View of a tire mold` 3i! of thepot heater typeY adapted tomold the tire shown'. in Fig, 1. mold comprises ther usual: top andY bottom halves Si. and 32' respectively each provided with a cavity adapted for registry, when the halvesxare joined, toform the usual tire-receivingv mold cavity having side wallsl and radiallyl inner and outer walls asshown, It will be. seen,.however, by reference toA Fig. Q-'thatinstead ofv the circumferential contour being the` true. circle, heretofore used in tire molds, the present mold has a circumferential contonr between the traction element cavities of the mold which` consists of. many. sides, which resultsr from forming. circumferentiallyV flat areas F in the mold between the moldsrtractionelement cavities 33, l34, 35y and'36r.. The cavities 33,v

35,. 35 and` 36. ofthe mold shown in' Fig. form'.

theI traction elements II, I2, I3 and'` Iltrespectively` of the tire shownin Fig. 1. IftheY bottoms of 'said recesses I5., lf, I.'I.. and I8iof. the tire29i are to have concave circumferentiallines sucha's, for example, asisshown inFig. 'Athen the surfaces. of, the. moldwill bel correspondingly; convex;

as will, be understoodr bythcsef4 familiar. Withthe art; The method of-'manufacturing' tireV moldsl of the form described above-hasbeenibrieily. discussedi in the :first paragraph above. andthe;` dltails. of the method necessary toi manufacture such moldsV will vbe obvious .to thosefamilian withmachine shoppractices..

Itfwill nowfbe'seenthat, applicant hasgproduced atire moldof a construction thatri makes possiblefor the flrstitimeA in theart theiproperv molding-oi.`

atire of the type described; Athat hahaszincreased th'egdepth of the cavities between .the traction-elet. ments of the tread'without adversely affecting:l

the stability of' said traction elements; that the present;v invention for the. first; time :makes possible-y the moldingof'atire of the typedescribedtwithoutA the tire ply fabricliftingxinto tread traction@ elementA cavities of ithe' mold, andialsd the .mold-+- y ingy ofA such: tiret withoutf' an undesirable. amount; of rubber, being trapped.` in the centraliareasxof.

Said' i the bottoms of the tread cavities defined by the traction elements ofthe tire tread.

By reference to Figs. 5 and 10 it will be seen by comparison that the improvement in tire construction effected by applicants invention is a substantial contribution to the art. In Fig. 10, which shows the relative position of the tread rubber and the fabric plies of tires of the type described before the present invention, it will be seen that the ply fabric I0 at G is lifted or drawn into the base portions of the traction elements l2 and I I. It will also be seen that there is a greater thickness of tread rubber over the fabric plies at H in Fig. than at E of Fig. 5, and that the accumulation of tread rubber at H together with the now or lift of ply stock into the traction elements results in a attened area "I on the inside of the tire.

Modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention which is to be limited; therefore, only by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A generally annular tire mold of the character described including a tire receiving cavity having a tread-forming wall provided with a plurality of tread bar channels cut into the surface thereof and spaced in a circumferential direction at distances greater than the width of each channel, said channels dening a circular configuration, the distance between the center of the mold and any point on the surface of said tread-forming wall intermediate the tread bar channels being less than the distance between the center of the mold and the side margins of the tread bar channels at said surface, in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the mold.

2. The mold of claim 1 wherein the surface of the mold intermediate the tread bar channels is substantially linear in a direction circumferentially of the mold, whereby the mold surfaces, intermediate the tread bar channels, dene a polygonal configuration.

3. The mold of claim 1 wherein the surface of the the mold intermediate the tread bar channels is convex in the direction circumferentially of the mold.

4. A tire mold provided with a tire receiving cavity formed by radially inner and outer walls and two side walls, the two side walls and radially inner wall being of circular configuration, channels extending into said radially outer Wall and communicating with said cavity, said channels being arranged in a circular configuration and being spaced from each other at distances greater than the width of each channel, the surfaces of said radially outer wall between said channels having a curvature of a radius greater than the distance between any point on said surface and the center of the mold.

5. A generally annular tire mold of the character described including a tire-receiving cavity having a tread-forming Wall provided with a plurality of tread bar channels cut into the surface thereof, each tread bar channel being defined 4by a bottom wall and opposed side Walls merging at their radially inner edges with said tread-form- 4ing wall, said tread bar channels being spaced apart in a direction circumferentially of the mold a distance greater than the width of said channels, the distance between the axis of said mold and any point on the surface of said tread-forming wall intermediate any two adjacent tread bar channels measured in a circumferential plane perpendicular to the axis of said mold being less than the distance between the axis of saidrmold and the point of merger of said side Walls of said tread bar channels with said surface of said tread-forming wall. i

` HELEN E. KREYER,

Executm of the Estate of John G. Kreyer, De-

ceased.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name :Date Bosomworth et al. Jan. 18, 1944 Number 

